Workers from seven Amazon facilities initiated a strike on Thursday, as part of a strategy by the Teamsters union to compel the online retail giant to negotiate labor agreements during a significant consumer shopping season.
According to the Teamsters, the workers, who recently voted to authorize strikes, took to the picket lines after Amazon failed to respond to a deadline set by the union for contract discussions. The union characterized this event as the largest strike against Amazon in the U.S. to date, though the company stated it did not anticipate the strike would disrupt its operations.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters claims to represent approximately 10,000 employees across 10 different Amazon locations, which constitutes a small fraction of the 800,000 workers engaged in Amazon’s U.S. warehouses. The union has not disclosed the specific number of participants involved or the expected duration of the strike.
“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” stated Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien.
The strikes occurred at seven delivery stations where packages are sorted for transport before being given to contractors responsible for delivering them to customers. The locations include three in Southern California, as well as one each in New York City, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois, and Atlanta, Georgia, as per the union’s announcement.
In the Queens borough of New York City, law enforcement officials reported two individuals were taken into custody during the protests. The police did not specify the reasons for the arrests but mentioned that the individuals received criminal court summonses and were subsequently released.
The largest warehouse associated with the Teamsters is situated in Staten Island. In 2022, thousands of workers at this location, known as JFK8, opted to be represented by the newly formed Amazon Labor Union before choosing to affiliate with the Teamsters this past summer.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) validated that election, yet Amazon has been reluctant to engage in contract negotiations and has even filed a lawsuit challenging the labor board’s constitutionality.
The striking facilities saw workers who had garnered majority support to unionize with the Teamsters, doing so without government-scheduled elections. This includes Amazon-employed warehouse workers in San Francisco and outsourced delivery drivers from other areas.
Companies can recognize unions without formal elections under labor law, though this practice is infrequently utilized, remarked John Logan, a director at San Francisco State University.
The Teamsters indicated that Amazon workers from additional locations are “prepared to join” in the action, mentioning that employees at the Staten Island warehouse and a company air hub in California have also authorized strikes.
In response to the strikes, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel claimed, “What you see here are almost entirely outsiders, not Amazon employees or partners, and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters.”
Nantel further stated that the Teamsters had been unable to garner adequate support from Amazon’s employees and had resorted to involving outsiders, which she described as inappropriate and dangerous.
Amazon, based in Seattle, has clarified that it does not consider the delivery drivers involved in the strike as its employees, as they are employed by independent delivery firms, referred to as Delivery Service Partners. The company has accused the union, which asserts representation over some of these drivers, of misrepresenting the situation.
“This is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Nantel reiterated.
Nonetheless, the Teamsters argue that Amazon effectively controls all aspects of the drivers’ tasks, warranting their classification as employees. In prior filings with the NLRB, U.S. labor regulators have sided with the union, and in September, Amazon raised pay for drivers amid growing scrutiny.
While Amazon has asserted that it does not anticipate any functional disruptions due to the strike, extended walkouts could potentially delay package deliveries in certain urban areas.
On Thursday, Amazon.com Inc.’s shares traded up approximately 1.3%, though they experienced slight declines during after-hours trading.
